Cunard's Queen Mary 2 to return to Liverpool to mark milestone crossing

Cunard’s flagship liner, Queen Mary 2, will sail into Liverpool this week, to celebrate a significant milestone - her 400th transatlantic crossing.

The iconic ship will make an overnight call at the port where Cunard started passenger services between Europe and North America in 1840. Since then, Cunard ships have crossed the Atlantic every year, beginning with the paddle steamer Britannia, which departed Liverpool on July 4, 1840 bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Boston.

Queen Mary 2 will arrive on the Mersey on Friday (September 6) and depart on Saturday (September 7) bound for Cobh in Ireland. Her historic voyage to Liverpool started in New York on August 23, where she commenced her 400th crossing of the Atlantic, arriving in her homeport of Southampton a week later before continuing across the British Isles.

The visit will mark the ocean liner’s eighth call at Liverpool and is expected to draw large crowds along both sides of the Mersey. It will also be the first call by a Cunard ship in the city since the grand Queen Anne Naming Ceremony, which took place in front of 50,000 spectators at Pier Head in June.

Cunard President Katie McAlister Cunard’s 184-year connection with Liverpool is “something truly special” and it “feels right” to celebrate the milestone back in the port where Cunard’s transatlantic journey began. She added: “I’m excited to be back in the city and by the waterfront.”

Queen Mary 2 is due alongside at Liverpool Cruise Terminals at 2.30pm on Friday (September 6), with spectators expected to line vantage points at Formby from 12.30pm and New Brighton and Crosby near the mouth of the river at 1.00pm. The ship will depart at 11.59pm on Saturday (September 7). Timings are subject to change.